As someone who loved the seven husbands of evelyn hugo this book seemed to bring back every single feeling i had while reading this book. i love it

I finished this book at 1:00 a.m. in the morning. Absolutely superb. All the stars.

I have not had a book grab hold of me like this one did in a very very long time. I loved everything about this book. Huge Evelyn Hugo vibes. It’s a must read, friends.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a coming-of-age story told in memoir style with multiple POV chapters. I really liked the intermingling of key player voices throughout the story, as I'm always fascinated to hear the other side of the same story. Cate Kay's life lessons can be summed up into 2 overarching principles: 1.) Assume nothing, and 2.) Trust but verify everything. So much anguish could have been avoided by addressing insecurities head-on and by doing a little bit of personal investigation. But, then again, if Cate did that, she probably never would have had the interesting life experiences she did. The final lesson is that you can always go home... no matter how old you are or how many years have passed. The right day may not be today, but there is always someday.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Cate Kay was such an incredibly fun and clever read that I will for sure be recommending to readers in my life (I already passed my copy to my mom).

I really enjoyed the format of this book with multiple POV contributing to the storyline. I really enjoyed the book within the book and would actually love to read it on its own as it sounded super intriguing!

While I questioned some of Annie/Cass’s decisions, I was continuously rooting for her and loved her story. There were a lot of good characters in this book that I felt drawn to and interested in. The short chapters kept me reading and I really couldn’t put this one down! It is incredibly engaging.

My only critique is that I would have liked a longer ending. I was satisfied with the way it ended but would have liked it to be more detailed.

I cannot wait to see what this author does next- I loved her writing style and will be eagerly waiting for her sophomore novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Formal Review to Come - I enjoyed this book. It did take a minute to grow on me though. I think it was a wonderful debut novel into the fiction genre!

@AtriaBooks | #gifted Back in November, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗞𝗔𝗬 was the very first 2025 book I read. It was at a time when I needed something a little lighter, with a touch of both fun and heart, and debut author Kate Fagan definitely delivered!⁣
⁣
This is the story of a wildly popular author, Cate Kay, who is a mystery to the public. For reasons unknown by almost everyone, she refuses to come out of hiding. This drives people wild, but it doesn’t drive those of us reading crazy because we know. From the very beginning we know Cate as Annie, growing up in a small lakeside town with the name she was born with. She and her best friend Amanda had big dreams. Just as soon as they could, they were heading to Hollywood with stardom on their minds. Sadly, that didn’t happen.⁣
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The story is told from a variety of different perspectives which I loved. I found it delightfully easy to follow in print and I think it would be great on audio, too. There’s a lot going on, including romance and identity, plus a whole lot of secrets. Misunderstandings abound, and that might normally cause a little eye-rolling on my part, but in this it didn’t bother me at all. It helped that as the reader, I knew everything. The real questions were how and when would everyone put all of the pieces together, and would Cate Kay ever get back to being Annie? It was an extremely satisfying read and just the right story for a much needed change of pace. It’s one I definitely recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Coming-of-age search
for love, courage, ambition,
authenticity.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


I write haiku reviews but am happy to provide more feedback.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book!

Annie is such a multifaceted and intriguing character and is the living embodiment of The Bolter. The book is written like a memoir, which I loved, and the switching povs was so smart as you got to see the same situation or conversation happen from the other character’s point of view.

Even though Annie is a fictional character, I really felt like I got to know her in the book - through her own words, the words of the people she knew, and through The Very Last. All of it just made me want to keep reading. I do wish some characters got a bit more comeuppance, but all in all, I had a great time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this earc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this debut from Kate Fagan. After being compared to Evelyn Hugo, I was excited to prioritize this one and I can see the similarities! But I also loved how original this story was. It felt so real as we heard all about how Cate Kay became Cate Kay from many different perspectives. Each chapter was very thoughtful and purposeful. The inclusion of footnotes was a very interesting addition that made me feel like I actually was getting Cate's perspective. There was also a book within a book which is one of my favorite things! Fagan includes lots of different structure and plot elements and I'm impressed how well it all comes together. She also references Lawrence, KS and the Kansas Jayhawks multiple times so I automatically loved this one.

This is Reese's January pick and is definitely worth the read! I look forward to more from Fagan.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins?!?! What?! LET'S GO!!!!

I had high hopes this book would deliver, rather than be a media ploy to get more readers, as that is very impressive company.

This new release has been getting positive reviews, so thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

It's also a Reese's Book Club pick, which means nothing to me as I don't follow her, but no doubt that's huge for the author, so congrats.

Here's the scoop:

This book is not on the same level, nor does it share the same vibe as Evelyn Hugo or First Lie Wins. Not even close.

The concept is interesting.

"Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now.

As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again." (GR)

Had this story simply been about Amanda and Annie (Cate Kay), I think it would have been less scattered, but there were so many characters, and therefore, so many POV's that things became incredibly muddled. It lacked cohesiveness, drama and excitement for me.

I did love the references to my alma mater, KU, although there were A LOT of them and I did find that confusing.

In the end, a good concept, lacking in execution.

Available now.

"A fake mundane life is what I was living, the kind I would have dreaded as a kid when I caught the sickness of wanting to eat the world."


This was intriguing. I haven't read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo yet so I don't know how to compare both and what to expect. I did have an idea that this is going to be a sapphic drama-filled romance/mystery. It was a bit confusing at first with all the multiple POV switches, random characters and timeline..the story is somewhat complex and layered and reminds me of Margaret Atwood writing. Who the mysterious Cate Kay is revealed pretty early in the story but it was interesting to know her backstory, her history with her best friend Amanda and her relationships with other people over the years. What happened between her and Amanda, her mysterious disappearance, why she is being so dodgy, how long will she be able to keep her secret and run away from her past?

What a journey it turned out to be! Initially, I thought I’d made a mistake picking this one—it felt slow and out of my comfort zone. But as I kept turning the pages, Cate’s story gripped me completely. Her raw emotions—mistakes, guilt, frustration, happiness, and self-doubt—were so touching and real. By the end, my chest was swelling with emotions.

Ok so listen. I moved this book up on my TBR because it was getting a lot of buzz this week (it was released on Tuesday!) so I went in hyped. Perhaps that was my first error, since I found this book a bit confounding and not what I expected. I thought it would be a mystery, or maybe a thriller. I didn't expect a romance, and I didn't expect the author to force me to suspend my disbelief on everything I knew to be true about Hollywood and the publishing industry. I also didn't expect for most of the book to be about emotional reunions and when they do happen (we get 2!) they don't even happen on the page! Look, I powered through this book in a day and I wanted to know what was going to happen, but I just couldn't believe the most anticlimactic ending I've ever encountered in my life.

It's a simple book, about an author who writes a blockbuster book but her identity is kept secret (though, I felt dubious about why she even had to do that). She falls for the actress starring in the adaptation of her book (which is about a nuclear blast and the aftermath of what happens to Manhattan but there is also apparently a theme park based on the trilogy, as WELL as a ride at Universal?) It's written as a memoir, but there are different POVs. Explain that one to me! Like, a random person will have 1 paragraph in the memoir. Miscommunication, truly evil people who don't get their due, and confuddling relationships with people who all have the same voice all make this book a bit of a mess.

I dunno, the more I think about this the more I didn't like it at all and I hate to put out negativity in the world right now but I just can't understand why this is getting raves. Ok bye.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC!

This book is a serious page-turner! It has wide appeal for readers of mystery/thrillers, romances, queer literature, and literary fiction, and also for young adults. I will be strongly recommending this to the high schools in my district.

All I needed to see was this book compared to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and First Lie Wins to grab it immediately. Like Evelyn Hugo, this book was juicy and delicious while offering a good amount of substance.

Despite the cartoonish cover, this book was a lot more literary than I expected — in a good way! This fictional memoir exploring the past life of mysterious bestselling author Cate Kay dove deep into themes of friendship, love, loss, forgiveness and finding oneself. I loved the way the book was told from multiple POVs making the story rich and dynamic.

I know with Reese picking this book for January, it’s likely to be everywhere, and thankfully, I think this one is worth the hype. If you like a story with plenty of plot that’s also rich in character development with solid writing, definitely add this one to your 2025 TBR!

The mysterious best-selling author “Cate Kay” has finally decided to share her story, and reveal her true self to the world. Following a tragic accident, Anne Marie Callahan ran away from home, restarting her life under a new name. From there, she begins to write, using the pseudonym Cate Kay, only to have her novels blow up, with her anonymity just adding to her success.

I really enjoyed this book, and thought it was such a unique premise! This character-driven novel is told from multiple POVs, which I did struggle to keep track of at times, but I loved the different perspectives of the various characters. The story was fast-paced with an element of suspense, and a satisfying ending. I also found the book to be thought-provoking and reflective — I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for my gifted copy!

This was a quick and easy read. I've seen it promoted as a "thriller", but I personally wouldn't call it that. I really didn't get any type of thriller vibes from this book, and at no point was I on the edge of my seat.

I enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the relationships throughout. With it being such a short book, a few of the relationships felt a bit rushed and not fully fleshed out. I would've liked more backstory or more detail to truly feel the depth of the emotions/connections between certain characters. It didn't take away from the plot in any way, I just think it would've given me more of an emotional connection to the book had that depth been there. And even though the main character changed her name several times (this is not a spoiler, it's literally in the title and the synopsis), she actually didn't have a major character arc, particularly in the present-day sections.

That said, I really enjoyed the parts that focused on the friendship between Annie and Amanda. Most of us have had that best friend from childhood who we were attached to at the hip. The memories shared in this book definitely felt nostalgic to me and made me miss my childhood best friend.

There were some twisty elements to the book, but they were more of a twist to the main character, as those things were all revealed to the reader as they happened. So there wasn't any real sense of suspense, which is probably why it didn't at all feel like a thriller to me. It was definitely a different read in that way, as I don't read a lot of books where I feel like I, as the reader, am fully clued in, while the main character is not.

I can say that I tore through this book quickly, I didn't want to put it down, and I enjoyed the experience of reading it. There were things about it that I really loved, but overall, I felt like I wanted more from it.

I'm giving it three stars which is a good review, as that means I liked the book. I just felt like it could've had more depth, more tension, and more of a character arc.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the e-galley of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First read of 2025 and it was a five star selection!

From the moment I started reading about Cate Kay I knew I needed to know more about her life. Who was she? Where did she come from? How did she end up writing this memoir?

The memoir format is one that alway intrigues me. I love hearing about someone’s life, fictional or real, in first person. Fagan elevates this bird’s eye view style by adding in chapters that allow the reader and Cate to react to how the people in her life felt things unfolded. It allows for Cate to be introspective with fun footnotes throughout the chapters and the reader to gain a full picture of Cate’s life.

I highly recommend adding this one to your reading list!

4/5 stars

Thank you Atria for the advanced reading copy!

This book was fairly hard to rate. I had a hard time getting into the ARC, so I switched to audio around 20% and was super intrigued. Overall, I enjoyed it. There were tons of characters, which is both a pro and a con. It kept things interesting and added a lot of dimension, but also got confusing at times. I did really appreciate that each character had a different narrator on audio — that’s my fav.

The story was marketed as the next Evelyn Hugo and, while I can see how that comparison could be made, I actually think that did this book a disservice — making me go into it with super high expectations. The vibes were similar though — Hollywood dreams, movie stars, complicated relationships, struggle with sexuality, friendship, betrayal, character growth and coming of age. If you’re looking for those things, this book had them all!

On the whole, this was a solid read, albeit different than I expected. Some interesting twists and turns, balance between lovable and insufferable characters and enough mystery to keep you invested. If you’re going to pick this one up, I recommend the audio for sure!

The titular character may know how to craft a story but I don't think Kate Fagan is quite there yet Fagan's debut novel, told in the form of a memoir with chapter footnotes, we follow the three different lives of "Cate Kay", an author whose real identity is unknown to the public. We learn about the circumstances that prompted her to leave her town, best friend behind to build her mysterious literary persona.

Unfortunately, the synopsis is way more compelling than the final draft. I wanted to DNF this book multiple times but pushed through because I was hoping that something good would happen. Everything felt surface level and any problems characters encountered is overcome with minimal effort. There were so many things brushed over and for what? Why include certain character choices if you're not willing to put in the work?

The writing was fine. The book is written as though the characters are "writing" their memories of the events and each voice blended together.

My biggest problem with this book is that the "mystery" surrounding Cate Kay and the reason for her anonymity is so basic and the reason she becomes anonymous is disappointing. It felt like the characters were constantly building up this mysterious writer and then meeting her just didn't work for me.

Criticism aside, I liked the relationship between Annie and Amanda. I wish that we spent more time building on the psychological aspect of it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.